9:39 PM,
Oct. 15, 2013

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BATON ROUGE - Tea party members and congressmen who are afraid to appear moderate are to blame for the government shutdown, says former U.S. Rep. Charles Melancon, a self-professed "Blue Dog" Democrat.

Melancon, who served three terms in Congress 2005-2011, told the Press Club of Baton Rouge that ultra-conservatives, though in the minority, are running the U.S. House of Representatives

They got there, he said, after redistricting created districts that were more sharply racially segregated. ...